Sunday, February 20, 2011

Graeme McDowell

Graeme McDowell MBE (born 30 July 1979) is a Northern Irish professional golfer. McDowell has won six events on the European Tour, including 2010 U.S. Open which was also his first win on the PGA Tour. He has also represented Ireland at the World Cup and been a member of the European Ryder Cup team. Before turning professional, McDowell had a successful amateur career both in Ireland and in the United States, where he won many tournaments and was recognised as the most outstanding collegiate golfer in 2002. He also represented Ireland internationally and was a member of the triumphant Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team in 2001. McDowell was born in Portrush, Northern Ireland. He has played with Rathmore Golf Club since he was eight or nine years old. His uncle, Uel Loughery, coached him there when he was younger. At the age of 14, McDowell played senior cup for Rathmore. He attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham from 1998 to 2002. In 2002, he won the Haskins Award, given to the most outstanding collegiate golfer in the United States. He won on six occasions that season, out of 12 college events. In 2001 he was a member of the Great Britain and Ireland team which retained the Walker Cup at Sea Island, Georgia, United States. McDowell turned professional in 2002 and won that season's Volvo Scandinavian Masters, which was only his fourth start on the European Tour. That win led to McDowell being given honorary life membership at the Royal Portrush Golf Club. He did not win in his second season, but in 2004 he claimed the Telecom Italia Open and finished sixth on the European Tour's Order of Merit. In 2005, he divided his time between the European and U.S. PGA Tours. He was not yet a full member of the PGA Tour, but his top-50 placing in the Official World Golf Rankings ensured that he received invitations to play in many events in the United States. McDowell managed two top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, including a tie for second place at the Bay Hill Invitational, which enabled him to earn enough money to become fully exempt on the PGA Tour in 2006. He failed, however, to finish in the top-150 in the 2006 PGA Tour money list, and decided to return to the European Tour for 2007.

In 2008 he returned to the winner's enclosure by winning first the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea, and then the Barclays Scottish Open. He played in the 2008 Ryder Cup, earning 2.5 points for the European team and finished the season ranked fifth on the Order of Merit. In June 2010, McDowell won the Celtic Manor Wales Open by three shots. This was his fifth European win. McDowell travels and practises with fellow Irish professionals Rory McIlroy and Pádraig Harrington. In June 2010, McDowell won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, becoming the first Irishman to accomplish the feat, and the first European U.S. Open winner since Tony Jacklin in 1970. He was also the first player from the United Kingdom to win a major championship since Paul Lawrie won The Open Championship in 1999, and the first Northern Irishman to win a major since Fred Daly won the 1947 Open Championship. McDowell was only the second European to win the U.S. Open since 1925. He rose to number 13 in the world rankings, then a career high, and became the eighth European in the top 15. McDowell embraced his father, Kenny, on Father's Day, and almost immediately called fellow golfer Rory McIlroy to joke about a possible partnership in the 2010 Ryder Cup. He celebrated with a large crowd, including the golfer Pádraig Harrington, in the United States. There were celebrations in his native Portrush as well when news of McDowell's win broke, with "the mother of all parties" planned to get underway in the town. The "famous win" set off "a brand new life" for McDowell, according to The Guardian's golf correspondent, Lawrence Donegan. The Daily Telegraph's Mark Reason said: "The previous three tournaments in the United States have been won by Lee Westwood, Justin Rose [both English] and now McDowell. It's an unprecedented surge and America must feel like it is being invaded". McDowell's manager, Conor Ridge, accepted bookings for American TV shows, such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, as well as a cameo role in Entourage. Shortly after winning the U.S. Open, McDowell joined the PGA Tour and earned a five-year exemption for winning a major. On Monday, 4 October 2010, McDowell was charged with putting to win on the 17th green of the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor. His was the last match of the 12 player singles, with his opponent being Hunter Mahan, to win the tournament 14.5/13.5 for Europe, and it was his 5 foot putt that was conceded to give victory to Europe.

Graeme McDowell cool pose

Graeme McDowell with his trophy

Graeme McDowell with golf performance

Graeme McDowell kissed his trophy

Graeme McDowell performance at filed

Graeme McDowell love golf very much

Graeme McDowell expression when he won the match with beautiful design